He’ll have rookies in key Cabinet posts — the EPA, Interior and possibly Energy. And Republicans — and even some Democrats — have made clear there’s no political will for sweeping national policy shifts.

Energy insiders say the White House will dribble out executive actions and federal rules over the next four years — the same low-key, bureaucratic approach the administration has taken since 2009.

While it's not a moon shot, the piecemeal strategy can achieve real results in reducing America's carbon footprint, even if it doesn't hold a candle to the type of climate bill that failed in 2010 and would have almost no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled House now.

“I think he is serious about making an effort,” said Billy Pizer, a former top Obama energy aide at the Treasury Department. “Real estate in major speeches is valuable.”

Another senior Obama administration official agreed.

"He led off with climate change. I don’t think you can ask for more than that,” said the official, who also urged caution about not expecting too much too soon. “A little bit of patience is warranted, but there has been a lot of strategy work going on.”

The perils of tackling climate change for Obama have been present since his first presidential campaign, when he declared during his speech declaring victory for the Democratic nomination that “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”

But as Obama has learned since then, he can’t exactly craft climate change polices that will produce results so easily seen. Politically, it makes what he’s doing an easy target for his opponents.

On top of that, anything Obama does to change the nation’s energy mix likely will mean political benefits years from now — when someone else is in the Oval Office to reap the rewards. Consider, for example, how two major fuel economy agreements that Obama’s team negotiated with the auto companies will ultimately lead to auto fleets reaching nearly 55 miles per gallon — in 2025.

“This is going to be on every president’s agenda for all time,” said Tom Strickland, the former chief of staff to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Most important, EPA will be rolling out standards for new power plants beneficial to natural gas and that would essentially ban construction of new coal units. A second set of rules is also coming for aging electric utilities. There’s no schedule yet for finishing either set of regulations, though a senior Obama administration official said there’s reason to stretch it out to force opponents to the table.

“In some ways, the longer this discussion goes on, the louder it is, the higher likelihood it is you get an agreement,” the senior administration official said.